LINK Summer 2024 colour : simplebooklet.com

2 On the 6th June 2024 villagers gathered on the Memorial Green at dusk to commemorate and remember the sacrifices made by a gen-eration of young men on the beaches of Normandy 80 years ago to the day. This was the largest naval, air and land operation in histo-ry. The beaches from east to west were Sword where the British forces landed facing bad weather, rising tides and strong German resistance. Juno where the Canadian forces also faced rough seas, rising tides and sustained heavy casualties. Gold where the British aided by a successful air and naval bombardment landed to link with the Canadians. Omaha where the American forces landed on the most heavily defended beach suffering the highest casualties, earning the sobriquet “Bloody Omaha”. Finally Utah on the Cotentin peninsular where the Americans again landed but fortuitously strong currents swept the first wave to a more lightly defended sec-tor. The Datchet event was organised by Cllr. Ian Thompson on behalf of Datchet Parish Council and David Smith on behalf of the British Le-gion. The Rev. Canon Janet Bins, the Area Dean, gave the blessing and Cllr. Thompson read the International Tribute. A local family laid a poppy wreath at the War Memorial in remembrance of their family member who took part in the historic landings followed by a minutes silence. On that evening well over a thousand beacons were lit across the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and UK Overseas Territories and as Cllr. Thompson turned on the gas, Cllr. Ewan Larcombe stepped forward to with a flaming torch to light the Datchet Beacon. Normandy is home to many Commonwealth War Grave cemeteries and at each, and indeed across the world, there is a large stone tablet bearing the words “Their Name Liveth For Ever-more ‘ THE PRAYER AND BLESSINGS FOR THE LIGHTING OF THE BEACON Prayer: Heavenly Father, We gather here today to honour the bravery and sacrifice of those who took part in the D-Day land-ings. On this solemn occasion, we remember the countless souls who risked and gave their lives for the cause of freedom. We are deeply grateful for their courage and for the liberty that their actions secured for generations to come. As we light this beacon, may it be a symbol of our enduring respect and gratitude. Let it remind us of the light of hope and peace that shone even in the darkest times of war. Guide us, O Lord, to cherish and protect the freedoms that were so valiantly fought for. We ask for Your blessings upon all who serve in the armed forces today, and for Your comfort and peace to be with the families of those who have fallen. May we, in our daily lives, strive to honour their legacy through our actions, promoting peace and understanding among all people. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen. Blessing: May the light of this beacon shine as a beacon of hope, courage, and remembrance. May it remind us of the sacrifices made for our freedom and inspire us to work towards a world where peace prevails. May God's grace be upon us all, guiding us in our efforts to uphold the values of liberty and justice. Let this light lead us to unity and mutual respect, strengthening our resolve to build a better future. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, may we go forth in peace and grati-tude.Amen.

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4 provisions such as blankets, clothing items and food and provide signposting to other support agencies and projects. They also help club goers who may be feeling unwell or have suffered an injury while out or need their phone charging in order to arrange transport home. For those who are struggling to walk in their chosen footwear, the Street Angels are always on hand with their trusty flip flops, to offer a more comfortable op-tion as well as looking out for any behaviour that may be of concern and require police interven-tion. In addition to the Street Angels patrols, the project also runs a Safety Hub from the Windsor Baptist Church on Victoria Street which operates every Saturday evening between 10pm and 3am, providing Safety, Sanctuary, First Aid Assistance and A Quiet Space for those who may need it. Over twelve years has passed since their first shift and the Windsor Street Angels initiative is still go-ing strong. The project, which is part of The Alma Beacon charity along with the Windsor Homeless Project and Windsor Foodshare, continues to grow and develop and makes a considerable difference to the night time community in Windsor every weekend. Having helped over 85,000 people since 2012, Windsor Street Angels is now an essential part of the night time community support structure, offer-ing a helping hand and sometimes vital interven-tion to make sure that residents and visitors to Windsor have an enjoyable and safe night. The project runs on Friday and Saturday evenings and places trained volunteers in Windsor town centre between 10pm and 4am. These volunteers support the homeless community with the offer of

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5 In order to help raise crucial funds for Windsor Street Angels and the wider Alma Beacon char-ity, David Bullock has written and illustrated a children's book, for which all proceeds will go to the charity. The book is called The Way Home and touches on the important sub-jects of homelessness and hope, told in a gen-tle and age appropriate way that shows what can be achieved when good people come together for a good purpose. The book is out now and available at Amazon. Alma Beacon encompasses three key projects that together provide essential support to the vulnerable members of our local community. They are Windsor Street Angels, Windsor Home-less Project, and Windsor FoodShare. Alma Beacon is the operating name of Windsor Christian Action, a registered charity in Eng-land (Charity No.1154308). All of the Street Angels volunteers are provided with full training and uniform and are guaranteed a varied, rewarding and an incredibly enjoyable role and some-times there’s even cake! Currently Windsor Street Angels are looking to increase their volunteer numbers and so if you are interested in getting involved or just finding out more about the project please contact the Street Angels Coordinator, PCSO David Bullock at david.bullock@thamesvalley.police.uk.

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8 Dear readers Thank you for your continuing support and interest in Slough Foodbank. As the increase in demand for our services continues, we are reliant on the generosity of the community of Slough and the surrounding areas. In this update we would like to focus on two areas where we need your help: Donations of Food and Toiletries Join our Trustees in the role of Secretary Donations of Food and Toiletries We want to make sure that no one in our local community goes hungry, but we need your help to make this happen. We rely on the donations of food, toiletries and financial gifts to provide the food parcels to our cli-ents. HOW YOU CAN HELP US: Donate food and toiletry items including: A full list of our needs is available here: https://slough.foodbank.org.uk/give-help-2/foodbank-wishlist/ Our warehouse is open for donations at the following times: Update from Slough Foodbank: Newsletter for Summer2024 Lo-cated at 411 Montrose Avenue, Slough SL1 4TJ, UK Donations can also be left in the supermar-ket permanent collection points. Donate money – We are having to buy more food and toilet-ries to meet demand Details of financial giving are available here: https://slough.foodbank.org.uk/give-help-2/donate-money/ JOIN OUR TRUSTEES IN THE ROLE OF SECRETARY We are looking for a Secretary to join the board of Trustees for the food bank and support that board to full its responsibili-ties for the overall governance and strate-gic direction of the food bank. Duties include administration relating to Trustee meetings such as agendas, meeting invita-tions and minutes, reviews of policies, managing the board calendar and submit-ting regulatory requirements. Slough Foodbank is looking for people willing to bring energy, enthusiasm, and most of all commitment to the role, and who will broaden the diversity of thinking of our board. New Trustees do not need any previous governance experience as Trussell Trust will provide a full induction and training. Further details are available here: https://slough.foodbank.org.uk/give-help-2/volunteer/ Slough Foodbank is a faith-based charity motivated by Christian principles, follows biblical values and has strong associations with local churches. In order to preserve the charity’s distinctiveness, the Trustees of Slough Foodbank reserve the right to make appointment of Trustees who are loyal to the Christian ethos of the charity. ABOUT SLOUGH FOODBANK: Slough Foodbank believes that no one in the community should have to face going hun-gry. That’s why we provide three days worth of nutritionally balanced, emergency Long-life items Fruit Juice Sponge Puddings Soup Cooking sauces Toiletries Soap Deodorant Shaving Foam/Gel Toothbrushes Toothpaste Shampoo Tinned Items : Tuna Carrots Spaghetti Fruit Rice Pudding Sundries : Tea & coffee (small Sizes) Nappies Toilet Rolls Washing Up Liquid Mondays Wednesdays Fridays 1pm—3pm 10am—12 noon ` 10am—12noon

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14 The year began slowly but by March we were in full swing starting with the World Day of Prayer on Friday 1st March at the Baptist Church which was on Palestine.* I found out that the national emblem is the poppy and the jasmine ower. I brought some for the display and also covered the posters, one went in the Bridge and the other on the Village green. We learnt about the many conicts the people suffered and are still enduring. The service was very moving but joyful. The following week we celebrated Mothering Sunday and the theme was ‘How can we help?’ On the notice board there were ideas about how we can help each other and the communi-ty including helping at village events, baking cakes, volunteering and supporting village fairs or donating money. I asked Stella how she helped and she reminded me that she is a sacristan who looks after the vestments. Helen helps the School with listening to the school-children whilst they read and also crotchets blankets for the Fair. Pam and Gloria do ster-ling work in the Bridge and are valuable mem-bers of the MU as well as helping at Vil-lage fairs. Parveen has cooked her fa-mous rice pudding as well as helping in the Bridge and at Village events. Then we celebrated Easter at the end of the month. The Lady Day service was moved from 25 March to Monday 8th April and as we could not nd a church to hold it so we had to organise our own. It was a short service without communion but we chose very thoughtful hymns such as ‘Do not be afraid, ‘Lord Jesus Christ’ and an old tes-tament reading from Isaiah as well as a gospel reading from Luke. Unfortunately, there is not going to be a Summer Fair this year but a few of our members are going as a group to visit Arundel Cathedral and area . The next three months are going to be very busy with a Beetle drive, coffee morning and MacMillan coffee morning on behalf of their cancer trust. * - The theme for World Day of Prayer is agreed 2 years in advance by the international council who organise it. It was particularly apt, and very poignant, that this year the theme was on Palestine, given the current situation there.

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15 ST AU GUSTINE We light a candle and enjoy its flickering light, fragrance and the warm glow it brings But without the spark it needs to light it, there would be no flame Without wax, no source of power- the wick will not burn Without the flame there is no fragrance, no warmth and no light And so it is with us, Lord – O Divine One You are the spark that lights us, the fuel that sustains us When you enter our lives you fill us with your fragrance You give us power to carry the flame of your love in our hearts To be the fragrance, warmth and light of Your love And in so being are at one with you Keep alight Your fire in our hearts Amen May we remember If children live with criticism – they learn to condemn If children live with hostility – they learn to fight If children live with ridicule – they learn to be shy If children live with shame –they learn to feel guilty Help the leaders of nations, the people in all forms of authority to respect the differences, value others and work towards true peace and justice so that conflicts and pursuit of domination may cease, For if children live with encouragement, praise, fairness, security and approval, They learn confidence, appreciation, justice, faith and to like himself. If children live with acceptance and friendship They learn to find peace and love in the world. Lighting a candle is a parable When a candle is lit it burns brightly It sheds light in the darkest corner It enables the tasks to be performed It enfolds the light around us It gives comfort and hope In Baptism a candle is lit and given to the new member of God’s Family to show that God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and given us a place with the saints in Light. The family, Godparents and all present are “charged” to walk in the Light for all the days of life: Therefore, help us to understand that any action we make or thought we have DOES have an effect on the world around us : May we each strive towards being mindful of this and be the models our children need to make a better world for all. May we remember that in lighting a candle we are lighting a symbol Of love and Hope Of light and warmth OUR WORLD NEEDS THEM ALL When we have gone, it stays alight Kindling in the hearts and minds Of all left behind, and yet to come. The prayers, the love, the life Already offered, and gone before Lord, I commit my failures as well as my successes into your hands, and I bring for your healing the people and the situations, the wrongs and the hurts of the past. Give me courage, strength and generosity to let go and move on, leaving the past behind me, and living the present to the full. Lead me always to be positive as I ‘entrust the past to your mercy, the present to your love, and the future to your providence’.

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16 financial pressures we will see this continue for many years to come. There are many pressures on the local authority and to give you a very quick summary for every £1 you pay in council tax 92p is set aside for Adults, Children’s services and interest on the debt. This leaves just 8p in every £1 you pay in Council Tax towards your services and this figure is decreasing annually. I have said this before and will continue to bang the drum, that we are so lucky to have a Parish Council here in our village. Now residents are joining to support this very important lower level of the local authority, we can see the Parish Council being a very important organisa-tion where residents can come together to have more input on how their village should go forward, maintain and improve our village life. To continue it’s traditions, history and further invest in it’s future. The Parish Council has started a project which includes the “Strategic Plan” where we will be looking at the needs of the village residents over the short to medium term (3-5 years) while RBWM sorts it’s financial misman-agement out. The idea is to look at being proactive in both our financing but also in our project management and planning, so that we can see maintenance and im-provements to our village that residents want to see. This could include areas such as financing, highways, green spaces, flood maintenance and improvements to existing infrastructure. To reviews of the conservation area to further protect us from weak planning regula-tions. Only the Parish Council has the legal ability to step in temporarily while the main council fails us on discre-tionary items. We can maintain, improve our village or let it fall backwards into decline during these difficult times to come. It is my view that this is an opportunity, and we should grab it, to set a standard of village life we wish to see and work towards it in a managed and planned way. I hope that residents see the same opportunity and start to engage at our monthly Parish meetings or with parish councillors to debate, scrutinise and have input on the village’s future. Spring has come and gone with some of the wettest months on record and the hottest May (Can you believe it, I think I missed it). We welcome in the summer and have see new hang-ing baskets being erected across the village, which are springing up nicely, as we write this latest report. The planters have all been refreshed and are looking love-ly, with the village greens and riverside looking partic-ularly green and lush due to the fine weather they have appreciated. Datchet Parish Council has seen a number of residents stepping forward to be co-opted this year and we wel-come the new team that is progressing fast and roll-ing their sleeves up and getting on with the roles (Please see the updated list of councillors below). We hopefully, will see a full and effective council as we go forward into 2024. If you would like to join the hard-working members of the Datchet Parish Council and add value to your community please contact the Clerk on Clerk@datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk or call 01753 773499. We continue to see the cost-of-living crisis affect Datchet residents in many ways from people downsiz-ing to our day-to-day costs increasing. We have seen our local Council the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead see cuts in discretionary services. This has seen are area affected negatively from the state of our roads, drop in cleanliness and a lack of mainte-nance and repairs. Unfortunately, due to ongoing CLERK TO COUNCIL Mrs Sonia Masikito DPC ADDRESS Contact :-  Tel: 01753 773499  Mob. 07862 013161 e-mail: clerk@datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk Datchet Parish Office 1 Allen Way Datchet Berkshire SL3 9HR DPC Website 8 : https://datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk THERE IS A PARISH COUNCIL MEETING ON Parish Councils are generally on the second Monday of each month (Check Datchet Parish Council website for updates) – We hope to see you there, all are welcome!

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17 Sometimes there is confusion on what the Parish Coun-cil’s responsibilities are or what powers they have. This is further complicated in Datchet as we have a Borough wide Unitary Council that is The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead that has overall responsibility on most matters, that affect our day to day lives. So, I would like to add a link here to the Datchet Parish Council website that shows our responsibilities and duties in detail. I hope you take the time to read what the responsibilities of the Parish Council are and how it can support your needs: h t t p s : / /www.datchetparishcouncil.gov.ukRoles__and__Responsibilities_1735.aspx The responsibilities and duties of the Parish Council can be broken down simply as set out below and the “Strategic Plan” will not alter this: • Give views, on behalf of the community, on planning applications and other proposals that affect the parish. • Alert relevant authorities to problems that arise or work that needs to be undertaken in Datchet. Help the other tiers of local government keep in touch with their local communities. We hope you are seeing the value of the Parish Council in Datchet grow in the village. We have seen in the past public meetings being held on behalf of residents on large developments like AL39 (Rear of London Road) or community concerns on the future of The Manor Hotel in Datchet. Datchet Parish council facilitated the gathering of resi-dents to discuss and debate these and many other im-portant issues that may concern residents at all Parish Council meetings where the public are welcome and encouraged Recently we have seen the approval of the controver-sial development known as AL39 the land at the rear of London Road Datchet consisting of 80 dwellings to be built, soon. A decision notice was issued in the pre-vious week giving us just 6 weeks to respond to and we are chasing down legal advice as we go to press to still try to carry out resident’s requests to stop this de-velopment progressing in it’s current planned state. The Datchet Parish Council are responsible from the lovely grounds on the recreational area, the memorial greens, the cemetery, and the Riverside plus many buildings. We continue to see the improvements and ongoing maintenance to the number of buildings that the Parish Council own, lease and maintain on behalf of the community. From the library, the cemetery, the village hall centre, the Bridge café to the Doctors surgery and several other properties, all supported by Datchet Parish Council web-site address:  www.datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk the Parish Council on your behalf. We hope residents will look to co-opt onto the parish council, attend council meetings and support the com-munity as listed above and to help guide the village progressively forward. A reminder is set out below of the serving Parish Coun-cillors that have been voted into Lead member posi-tions at the Council, to support the community throughout 2023. Contact details of Parish Councillors can be found on the Parish Council website here: https://www.datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk/ Your_Councillors_1733.aspx Or you can call the Parish office on 01753 773499 We can see the continued progression of the Parish office and administration team of Mrs Sonia Masikito as Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer (RFO), Claire Jefferies as administration assistant and of course the long serving Judith Freeland who continues to support the parish office finances. We have a strong team now who will work with the growing number of councillors to support the residents of Datchet over the future years. This is one of the key responsibilities of the Parish Council to maintain all the Parish Buildings and assets. This is one of the largest expenditures of the Parish FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION PROPERTIES a) FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION: Finance Committee started in October 2023 . Strate-gic & Development committee and Staffing Commit-tee b) PROPERTIES Lead Cllr. Darren Sander and Deputy Lead Cllr Ian Bacon c) GROUNDS Lead Cllr. Ian Thompson and Deputy Lead Cllr Steevan Glover d) PLANNING Lead Cllr. David Buckley and Deputy Lead Cllr Darren Sanders e) CEMETERIES Lead Cllr Phil Bicknell f) HIGHWAYS AND GENERAL PURPOSES Dissolved Review set for March Full Council Meeting g) FLOODING AND DRAINAGE Lead Cllr Ian Thompson and Deputy Lead Cllr Susan Young h) EVENTS Lead Cllr Andrew Clemens and Deputy Lead Cllr Steevan Glover i) CHAIRMAN - Cllr David Buckley j) DEPUTY CHAIRMAN - Cllr Ewan Larcombe

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18 the steering group, to maintain the plan for Datchet Parish Council and residents. Planning can concern many residents and we hope to get a closer and stronger working relationship with officers at RBWM with the support of the 3 Independ-ent Borough Councillors elected in 2023 who wish to support the Parish Council and the residents as a pri-ority. We hope that soon, more emphasis and weight will be given to local planning recommendations from the Parish Council on behalf of residents and the commu-nity to help maintain our traditions and quality of life in a rural village. We must remember that good plan-ning is also good for the community, but poor plan-ning decisions affect our community and us all. All planning decisions are affected by Parliament and filter down locally but it is locally we feel the impact of weak or poor policies on a day to day. We continue to see an increase in the need to engage planning enforcement as some developers and oppor-tunists try to take advantage of the lapse in planning resources at RBWM and Datchet Parish Council have raised or supported a much larger number of plan-ning enforcement matters in the past year. This is an ongoing pattern as our Local Authority RBWM strug-gles to maintain an effective planning team to oversee Borough wide requirements. We will continue to fight the good fight on behalf of residents to maintain, im-prove and put Datchet first. We have seen another year pass with no maintenance of our flood defences and still a fight to see our only suitable flood defence River Thames Channel One be-ing deferred further but as we all know it is not IF, but WHEN we get another flood season, with climate change and the lack of maintenance to our waterways (no maintenance for over 10 years). RTS Channel One would support ongoing insurance and residents’ property values, at a time when a large flood event becomes all more likely. This position does not change. The Parish Council along with your local inde-pendent borough councillors continue to find solu-tions to get this only suitable flood defence installed against the push back of Parliament and local authori-ty financial pressures. During 2024 we are looking at having regular flood resilience events, in conjunction with various agencies and experts who will visit the Parish to help residents make their properties more flood resilient. In the background, we will work with the local flood authori-ty, local councillors and all government agencies to see the longer-term installation of suitable flood de-fences that are missing for the Parish after Windsor & Maidenhead had flood defences installed and paid for Council and the Lead member for Properties continuing to keep an eye on the quality and maintenance of all the Parish properties throughout the financial year with-in budgets and safety requirements. A monthly report is sent to the Council with recommen-dations and updates on all work carried out or to be carried out by the Properties team. This is posted onto the Parish website each month for public review or comment and presented to the Council to debate. This continues to be the largest area of work that the Parish Council oversee. Some of the projects are very large and time consuming. We continue to make pro-gress and complete the projects to maintain and improve our village. We have recently seen the im-provements around some of the borders on greens and this work is continuing under the watchful eye of the lead member and the team for grounds. The ongoing inflationary pressures are being worked around by the Lead Member to make the best use of residents and public money, but some projects are being pushed back due to this ongoing pressure on costs. Some projects are being reviewed to reduce expenditure at these diffi-cult times but as always maintenance of our beautiful village does not stop. The Lead member continues to balance these on a day-to-day basis to supply Datchet residents with a strong historic landscape, open green spaces and continuous maintenance so residents can continue to enjoy its assets. Again the “Strategic Plan” will incorporate this area to build a “wish list” and a project plan that is needed and meets residents aspira-tions. The planning team continue to see lots of activity in the applications for development of existing and new prop-erties in the Parish of Datchet and work to support resi-dents on local knowledge and weighted recommenda-tions to the RBWM planning team. Through the years there is a reduced weight given to Parish local planning recommendations due to the National Planning Frame-work and the Borough Local Plan, which have made more of the applications we see fall into Permitted Planning or to release building plots on Green Belt/Flood zones. We continue to add local input on behalf of the residents and bring your concerns forward to add more weight to guide RBWM planning officers’ de-cisions towards local needs. Additionally, we have seen the successful adoption of the Datchet Design Guide and the Datchet Neighbourhood Plan completing a referendum in May 2023 to adopt the Datchet Neigh-bourhood Plan. Now adopted, both, these two docu-ments add additional weight to any Parish recommen-dations and help protect the Historic and design of Datchet village for years to come. The Datchet Neigh-bourhood Plan has seen an ongoing commitment by FLOODING PLANNING GROUNDS

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19 how to improve the village and improve the quality of lives of the community. We look forward to looking after your needs in the future. Can I say thank you to all Datchet residents on behalf of the Datchet Parish Council for your ongoing sup-port we all really appreciate all the time you give to attend meetings and report local issues to us. with the help of Datchet residents but downstream we are left vulnerable to annual flooding. The Lead member for flooding has reported recently that he is working with other Parishes that are affect-ed by flooding to re-introduce the local flood de-fence groups who work tirelessly to get the funding in place for RTS Channel One. Please support our efforts to get protection for your homes and families not just from the physical effects of flooding but the financial impacts on insurance, safety, home values and disruption to local businesses, residents, and commuters. We need your support to safeguard resi-dents, our property values (flood re is due to end in 2035) and the long-term prosperity of Datchet is at risk. Please take the time to find out where you can get flood alerts or information on what to do if your home is threatened by flood water or what to do when a flood hits the village. In particular if you are a new resident to the village, it may be worth getting, in touch with the Parish Council Office to find out what to do in a flood event. You can follow this link as useful guide in the mean-time: h t tps : / / w w w .da t c h e tp a r i s h c o unc i l. g o v . u k /Flooding_1592.aspx We look forward to some good weather for the rest of the year and our winter events of Christmas on the Green and the Christmas lights switch on later in the year and we will be sure to get you times and date sin future editions of the link Please send the lead member and the deputy lead member any ideas for community events for the Par-ish as during these difficult times our events are or-ganised FREE for residents and we hope residents get the greatest of pleasure from them. Let’s pull together and keep enjoying these throughout the year. We hope that many, if not all Datchet residents get to attend these events, where we can all come to-gether and celebrate the great community, we have in Datchet. We would like to encourage the community to con-tribute on an ongoing basis as to your needs in the village by coming to our monthly Parish meetings, to engage and have input with the Councillors to dis-cuss where you feel improvements can be made or what further positive steps could be taken to benefit the whole community. However, you can also contact or engage with your Parish Councillors always should you feel the need, have a constructive idea EVENTS Cllr David Buckley Chairman Datchet Parish Council Email: chairman@datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk Email: dbuckley@datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk Email: clerk@datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk

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21 You can now be prescribed medications for 7 common conditions by your Pharmacy in Datchet and Wraysbury. What is Pharmacy First? • Pharmacy First is the NHS’s new scheme to provide medical help quickly at pharmacies nationwide. • You don’t need to see a GP for 7 common ailments listed below. • All you need to do is to visit your local pharmacy, tell them about your medical condition, and get medica-tions immediately. These conditions account for up to 40% of all GP visits. So it will free up waiting times at GP clinics and surgeries, while providing patients with direct access to prescribed medications and pharmaceutical products for a range of common conditions. What Conditions can be treated? 1. Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections For Women aged 16 to 64 Years 2. Impetigo For All Patients 1 Year and over 3. Shingles For All Patients 18 Years and over 4. Sinusitis For All Patients 12 Years and over 5. Sore Throat For All Patients 5 Years and over 6. Infected Insect Bites For All Patients 1 Year and over 7. Acute Otitis Media For All Patients 1 to 17 Years The Pharmacy First Scheme provides a range of medications for common ailments at your local pharmacy. Ask for a Pharmacist and explain your symptoms thoroughly in order to get the right medication for your conditions. A private Consultation Room is available for confidentiality if you wish. Your pharmacist is fully trained to prescribe medications for these conditions including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and a range of prescribed medications. Always remember to tell the Pharmacist about any sensitivi-ties you might have, or if you are allergic to any drugs or ingredients. For more information visit pharmacyfirstscheme.com or the NHS web site at www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/pharmacy/pharmacy-services/pharmacy-first/ Or ask at your GP Surgery. You can contact your local Pharmacy at: : Datchet Pharmacy - 01753 541786 Wraysbury Pharmacy - 01784 482430

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22 wanting to do this, in case such a stronghold was used as a base from which to oppose the monarch. The castle tower built then at Ditton Park House was called the de Molyns Tower. It existed there until the terrible re of 1812. John de Molyns was also licensed to create a deer park at Ditton, taking in land that had belonged to Datchet and Langley. Between the village of Datchet and the boundary of Ditton Park was another substantial estate called Riding, later known as Riding Court. This came into John de Molyn’s possession at the same time as Stoke Poges and in 1331 he was granted Right of Free Warren there. That was a privilege under the king’s control, allowing the holder to keep small game such as pheasant, partridge, hare and rabbit for hunting. Rabbits were intro-duced to England in Norman times from 1066 and were bred in ‘warrens’, only becoming wild in the late 1700s and 1800s. By the 1830s a small eld north of Riding Court House was still called The Warren, almost certainly the site of a medieval rabbit warren. One other right granted to John de Molyns in 1335 was to hold a fair in meadows near Datchet, although exactly where is unknown. This was a privilege because the Lord of the Manor would prot from the event. A fair in medieval times was an extension of a market, bringing large crowds of people and a wide range of traders selling goods not usually available. Datchet’s fair was held annually on 15th August, the Feast Day of the Assumption of Virgin Mary. The last known mention of this fair was in 1438. DATCHET BECOMES A ROYAL MANOR, 1472 Members of the de Molyn family became involved in the bitter disputes for the Crown that are called the Wars of the Roses, and two of them were beheaded in the 1460s as Lancastrians. In 1472, under the Yorkist King Edward IV, the family was pardoned and given back most of their estates which had previously been conscated. Stoke Poges with Fulmer, Last November’s edition of The link included the rst part of the Manor of Datchet’s story, begin-ning with William the Conqueror in 1066. As King he ofcially owned all the land in England, as was the law in medieval times. Since he could not manage all the land and people himself, he parcelled out the country into ‘Manors’ which he gave to the nobles who had supported him. Each Lord of these Manors owned and was in charge of everything and everyone living there, of whom most were peasants who did not own any land themselves. By 1300, two of the most disgraceful characters in English medieval history had become Lords of the Manor of Datchet: Hugh Despencer the Elder and his son, Hugh Despenser the Younger. They were fabu-lously wealthy, partly due to illegal land dealings, and presented an unacceptable challenge to King Edward II’s authority. In 1326 both were executed for conspiracy and high treason. In 1331 their man-ors were then returned to the previous owner, Ed-mund de Pinkeny. Unfortunately Edmund died only a year later, in 1332. THE DE MOLYNS FAMILY On the death of Edmund de Pinkeny, his property reverted to the ownership of King Edward III. The king then leased the Manor of Datchet to the de Molyns family who already owned Stoke Poges and Ditton Manors. These three small manors remained closely related to each other for many centuries to come. In 1335 John de Molyns was granted a royal licence to fortify his manor houses at Stoke and Ditton. A licence from the King was required by any noble Picture 1, Detail from brass memorial to William de Molyns, d. 1435. St Giles Church, Stoke Poges In the rst of a three-part article, Janet Kennish began telling the history of the Manor of Datchet alongside its current confusion with The Manor Hotel, which is often just referred to in Datchet as ‘The Manor’.

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23 which had belonged to Datchet Manor, was returned to the de Molyns family. But, crucial-ly for the future, the Manor of Datchet with Riding and the Manor of Ditton were kept by King Edward IV as his own possessions. The Manor of Ditton was centred on the moat-ed and fortied Ditton House, surrounded by Ditton Park and with its chapel, farm and hamlet close by. Until 1472 the Manor of Datchet had been administered from Stoke Poges. After that date Riding had ‘Court’ added to its name, which indicates that the Manor Courts for Datchet were regularly held there. Court sessions would have been conducted by the king or queen’s representative, (a bailiff or a steward), rather than by in-person royal visits. Datchet’s Manor House was built in the mid-1500s (pic 4, top picture next column). Its exterior was dramatically remodelled in the Victorian period, as pic 5 bottom picture . At this point, it’s interesting to see how Datchet’s Manor Hotel’s History page, from its website, recounts events during the Mid-dle Ages. It claims that The Manor of Datchet’s history (wrongly thought to mean the current Manor Hotel building), began in 1335: One of the landmarks of this village is the Datchet Manor. The Manor is cur-rently used as a hotel and conference centre. The history of the Manor begins in 1335 when King Edward III gave the Manor of Datchet to William de Montacute. He then passed it on to Sir John Molins, who held it until 1631. The Manor changed hands several times until it became the property of the Duchess of Buccleuch in the 1700s. It is true that the hotel was later owned by the Duke, and then the Duchess, of Buccleuch. However, the existence of a whole sequence of Lords of Datchet Manor was omitted by the Hotels’s website writer who moved on quickly to the Buccleuch family. These long gaps in the story of Datchet Manor will be lled in by Janet in future editions of the Link. Picture 2, King Edward IV National Portrait Gallery Pictures 4 ( above) & 5 ( below ), Datchet’s Manor House, now two dwellings, South side of the Greens Picture 3, This sketch is believed to be of Riding Court House as it was

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24 It’s been some time since we had an update on what is happening at St Mary’s. You may have heard several versions! You may have known that the previous vicar had been on extended pastoral leave, at the end of which they resigned their post before leaving the parish towards the end of 2023. Church life continued during this, not without some struggles at times. This left the church in what is known as an interregnum—in short a vacancy, requiring a recruitment process: However being the Church of England, this is not as simple and straightforward a process as might be thought! Certainly it does not reect the usual work environment ones where you advertise and appoint quickly. Several stages involving the Bishop or Bishop’s representative , legal processes to be rec-orded and a review and development of a Parish Prole—the document that records the life , strengths weaknesses and dreams of any parish which possible candidates will read and then decide whether or not to apply for that post: All these plus more have to be completed before an advert can be approved and published—as you can imagine a lengthy process alongside ensuring all the legal stages are noted accordingly! Alongside keeping services and other activi-ties alive and building upon them, we have been working hard on developing all this for the purpose of recruitment. Approaching different community organisations and schools for their views; within the church asking people and holding lay led services where people were able to give their thoughts and ideas in the context of worship, rooted Christ and in prayer. The Burnham & Slough Deanery to which Datchet belongs, has alongside our journey over the past 2 years also been reviewing and making tough decisions—this included reorganisation to make more geographical, and nancial sense of church pairings, as well as easier to build the fellowship amongst them. As a result of this Datchet and Colnbrook have separated as sister churches in the same benece, and moved to join other parishes—Datchet is joining Eton, Eton Wick and Dorney whilst Colnbrook is joining Wraysbury and Horton . This, of necessity requires some legal work to be undertaken to make it all happen and that is currently un-derway and will continue for a few months yet. In the meantime, we have been busy work-ing alongside our new partners to meld the three parish specic proles into one to reect the new benece, whilst still showing each parish as its own unique entity; When the time comes and we are ready, the Diocese will then assist in helping us to draw up an advert and role specications etc. The aim is that we will be advertising at the end of August, with shortlisting a month later and interviews of potential candidates in October. If all goes well then the new vicar designate would be due to commence in around January 2025—as they are required to give 3 months notice. In the meantime, St Mary’s has grown stronger and more positive, there is energy emerging for new activities and ideas are owing freely. The people of the church have been so AMAZING—supportive, enthusiastic and keen to move forward, and embrace the future –albeit with a little anxiety. They have been very supportive of the churchwardens, the Revd Canon Janet Binns, the Area Dean (who herself has been our mainstay in faith and worship.) and for his brief time with us, the Rev Samson Kuponiyi So, watch this space and we hope to publish details of the new incumbent in a not too far into the future edition of The LINK ! Your prayers and any well wishes for the process would be most welcome, whoever it is will be serving the community of Datchet, not just St Mary’s Church ( Eton, Eton Wick, Boveney and Dorney)) and we look forward to introducing you to the new Vicar in due course, God Willing

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27  Latex—Dandelions when they are cut or broken secrete a substance latex although in the majority of Dandelions the la-tex content is low. However the Russian dandelion is known to produce high amounts and used during WW2 : Today modern science has enabled it to be modified to produce commer-cially viable amounts , this lates shows the same quality as that from rubber trees Dandelions are so called after the French -dent-de-lion , derived from the Latin for Lion’s tooth—to describe the jagged leaves. The bright yellow Dandelion flower is a symbol of growth, hope, and healing. The greatest significance comes from its unique and instantly recognizable seed head rather than the sunny flower. The seed heads are commonly picked and blown to make a wish, spreading the seeds at the same time. This has given the flower a strong association with hope and optimism. Before lawns were so revered, many landowners active-ly removed grass to make way for the dandelion : They were seen as a bounty of food and medicine : it was somewhere in the 20th century or possibly the late 19th that they gradually became public enemy no 1 gardens and considered weeds.

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28 The Bridge is thriving as a village hub and coffee shop. However, we need more volunteers in order to remain open six days a week 9.30am to 3.30pm. At the moment the greatest need is Saturday, please consider volunteering if you possibly can. The ses-sions run 9.30-12.30 and 12.30-3.30 but if you can just manage two hours it is a great help. It can be on a regular basis or as and when you have time availa-ble. There are always two people on duty and you do not have to be in charge. Call in at The Bridge for a chat with the volunteers and leave your name and contact details, I will be in touch. Alternatively, do send me an email carolineatrosecottage@btinternet.com . During the time The Manor Hotel was a hostel for asylum seekers we had a wonderful source of hard working, young volunteers. Over the eighteen months or so that they were living in Datchet we had fteen young men, for various periods of time, volunteering at The Bridge. They made a very signi-cant contribution and, hopefully, the experience they gained was benecial to them. It certainly made my job of doing the volunteers’ rota easier and it was heartening to see how our wonderful team of volun-teers welcomed them and helped them feel part of our community. Our next door neighbour is Oakwood Estates and they have come up with a very generous offer to sponsor The Bridge. In September we will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Bridge; Oakwood is very kindly helping with the cost of the event. There is also an ongoing scheme whereby Oakwood Estates will make a donation of £150 pounds whenever The Bridge is men-tioned prior to the contract being -nalised. This is obviously excellent support for keeping The Bridge nan-cially secure and we are very grateful indeed. . Finally, I would like to thank the vol-unteers for all their work and support and the loyal customers who come regularly to The Bridge. There is a great feeling of welcome and friend-ship at The Bridge, it is a very im-portant part of our village. We should all be proud that we have kept it going since 1994; with continued goodwill and support it should continue to be a blessing to all who visit or volunteer. carolineatrosecottage@btinternet.com Please consider selling your property through Oakwood if you are thinking of putting it on the market and remember to mention The Bridge

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30 JULY 2024 Wednesday 3rd 11:00am Holy Communion Thursday 4th 7:30pm Churches Together in Datchet Meeting in The Bridge Saturday 6th 2:30pm Marriage of Harry Rainton and Rebecca Rodie at St Mary’s Church Sunday Trinity 6 7th 9:30am Sung Eucharist Monday 8th 8:00pm St Mary’s PCC meeting in the Church Community Centre Sunday Trinity 7 14th 9:30am Sung Eucharist Saturday 20th 10:30am—2:30pm St Mary’s Table Top Sale in church Sunday Trinity 8 21st 11:00am Lay led Service Tuesday 23rd Term ENDS at Churchmead School Thursday 25th 1:45pm Term ENDS at Datchet St Mary’s Academy Thursday 25th 11:00am Eton House Service Sunday Trinity 9 28th 9:30am 6:30pm Sung Eucharist Choral Evensong followed by refreshments AUGUST 2024 Sunday Trinity 10 4th 9:30am Eucharist NB Choir Holiday during August Wednesday 7th 11:00am Holy Communion Sunday Trinity 11 11th 9:30am Eucharist Sunday Trinity 12 18th 9:30am Eucharist Friday –Sunday 23rd 25th Gin & Cider Festival in The Stag PH Sunday Trinity 13 25th 11am Lay Led Service with Baptism by Rev Canon Janet Binns Thursday 29th 11am Eton House Service “Truly excellent, patient, friendly, helpful and a mine of Say hello to the fastest booking

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31 SEPTEMBER 2024 Sunday Trinity 14 1st 9:30am Sung Eucharist Monday 2nd 8:00pm PCC meeting in Church Community Centre Wednesday 4th 11:00am Term BEGINS for Year 7 & 12 ONLY at Churchmead School Holy Communion Thursday 5th 7:30pm Term BEGINS for whole school Churchmead Term BEGINS St Mary’s Primary Academy Churches Together in Datchet meet in The Bridge Sunday Trinity 15 8th 9:30am Sung Eucharist Sunday Trinity 16 15th 11:00am Lay Led Service Sunday Trinity 17 22nd 9:30am 6:30am Sung Eucharist Choral Evensong Thursday 26th 11:00am Eton House Service Sunday Trinity 18 29th 9:30am Sung Eucharist October 2024 Wednesday 2nd 11:00am Holy Communion Thursday 3rd 7:30pm Churches Together in Datchet meet in The Bridge Sunday Trinity 19 6th 9:30am Sung Eucharist Sunday Trinity 20 13th 9:30am Sung Eucharist Sunday Trinity 21 20th 11:00am Lay Led Service Friday 25th Term ENDS at St Mary’s Primary Academy Term ENDS at Churchmead School Sunday Last after Trinity 27th 9:30am 6:30am Sung Eucharist Choral Evensong OCTOBER— Nov Datchet St Mary’s Primary Academy Holiday Churchmead School Holiday 23rd — 1st USEFUL CONTACT DETAILS Editor Sally-Anne Jarvis  0771 126 9545 Sa_j2@btinternet.com Advertising & Treasurer Justine Elmore  0771 034 7484 justineelmore@yahoo.co.uk Distribution Sally-Anne Jarvis  he Editor Sa_j2@btinternet.com Vicar please contact :Area Dean: Revd Canon Janet Binns  01753 681335  07917 565626revjanetbinns@gmail.com @ StMarysDatchetChurch Parish Administrator Wednesdays & Fridays Fiona Norton  0175 358 0467 office@stmarysdarchet.org.uk Churchwarden Elaine Eastham  0796 085 9697 ladypink_11@hotmail.com Churchwarden Sally-Anne Jarvis  0771 126 9545 Sa_j2@btinternet.com Treasurer Via Office  0175 358 0467 office@stmarysdatchet.org.uk Datchet Parish Council Clerk : all enquiries Sonia Masikito  0175 377 3499  clerk@datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk

LINK Summer 2024 colour

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